Wallpaper
late 17th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Many early wallpapers were designed to imitate textiles, including velvets, brocades and lacework. This paper has a fleur-de-lis watermark that suggests a possible date of around 1680. The design is very similar to the border of a later 17th-century cotton printed with a lace-pattern, in the V&A (inv. no. 1605-1872). It also has strong similarities with the embroidery style known as 'black-work', in which patterns of flowers and fruit were stitched in black and silver thread on a white ground. One of only a handful of pre-1700 papers to survive, this design has been found in several different locations, including two houses in Surrey - in Kingston upon Thames (this piece) and Epsom - one in Newcastle upon Tyne, and one in a wooden box.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Woodblock print, on paper |
| Brief description | Sheet of wallpaper with formalised floral design on lattice-patterned ground, imitating lacework; Woodblock print, on paper; Provenance: Boots the Chemist, Market Place, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey; English; Late 17th century. |
| Physical description | Sheet of wallpaper with formalised floral design on lattice-patterned ground, imitating lacework; Woodblock print, on paper. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | (The paper bears a fleur-de-lis watermark of circa 1680.) |
| Credit line | Given by Boots the Chemist, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey |
| Object history | Given by Boots the Chemist, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey. Provenance: Boots the Chemist, 14, Market Place, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey. The paper bears a fleur-de-lis watermark of circa 1680, and the design is closely related to that of the border of a printed cotton, bearing a characteristic lace pattern of the second half of the 17th century (Department of Textiles, no 1605-1872). The building used by Boots is dated circa 1599. The paper was on a wooden partition wall, uncovered by subsequent decoration, and presents an unusual example of the preservation of original décor. |
| Production | The building used by Boots is dated circa 1599. The paper was on a wooden partition wall, uncovered by subsequent decoration, and presents an unusual example of the preservation of original décor. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Many early wallpapers were designed to imitate textiles, including velvets, brocades and lacework. This paper has a fleur-de-lis watermark that suggests a possible date of around 1680. The design is very similar to the border of a later 17th-century cotton printed with a lace-pattern, in the V&A (inv. no. 1605-1872). It also has strong similarities with the embroidery style known as 'black-work', in which patterns of flowers and fruit were stitched in black and silver thread on a white ground. One of only a handful of pre-1700 papers to survive, this design has been found in several different locations, including two houses in Surrey - in Kingston upon Thames (this piece) and Epsom - one in Newcastle upon Tyne, and one in a wooden box. |
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| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.1003-1976 |
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| Record created | March 17, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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